My family and I are in a period of transition. The military
will be transferring me from my current duty station to a new location next
month. My wife and kids moved two months ago so that the kids could start and
end school in the same system. The last two months have been challenging but
nothing we can’t handle. With a transfer comes the search for a new church.
During the last couple of years I’ve had a lot of
frustrations with the church that we were attending and I’m finding some of
those same frustrations in our search for a new one. It’s caused me to take a
close look at what church is, what it should be, and what my role in that
church is.
I attended one church
for a few years that had a couple dozen different ministries and programs. In
addition to the standard children’s, youth, and women, there was girls, boys,
fitness, knitting, military, youth home missions, people who ride motorcycles,
adult missions, public elementary school outreach, community outreach, and
several others. Now, all of these things are good and serve to get people
involved in a community of like interests and show God’s love through everyday
activities. But is it the church’s job to host and endorse all of these
programs?
At one point, one of the leaders of this church stood up on
a Sunday morning and said that our church was being looked at as a model for
other churches to follow in one of these ministry areas. Wow! That’s pretty
cool. The only problem was that there were several families that I knew of that
were going through divorces and another
half dozen were on the verge of divorce. I saw many, many teenagers (including
one of my own) walking away from the Lord. It got me thinking about what we
were focused on. It seemed to me that we were so focused on reaching out that
we forgot how to reach in. We were so focused on looking good on the outside
that we were rotting away on the inside.
As we have been looking for other churches and filling out
the visitor cards, I’ve noticed that a lot of other churches have the same things
going on. “Check the box of the ministry area that interests you” followed by a
list of areas to get connected. I’ve
heard so many sermons (including one this week) telling Christians that we are
too busy; that we need to slow down and take time to read the bible, pray, and
be with our families. But the church doesn’t encourage that with the dozens of
programs, services, bible studies, home groups, and other specialty groups.
“As Jesus and His desciples were on their
way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him.
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He
said. But Martha WAS DISTRACTED
by all the preparations that had to be
made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left
me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord
answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are
needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be
taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42
Martha definitely had the right heart. When we have guests
in our homes, especially VIPs, we want to show our best. We want the house to
be clean and the food to be good and the children to behave. So, we spend much
time making sure that all those things are perfect for our guest. Some of us
just want to appear busy. Some of us wear stress like a badge of honor. I think
that churches often do the same things. The work of the Kingdom has distracted
us from truly seeing the King.
Most Christians come to know Christ through a friend or
coworker who lives a life that reflects God’s love to the people around them,
not through a church program. I don’t have a statistic or study to back that
up, but I will say this: If that isn’t true, then shame on us! We spend more
time away from church and church activities than we do in those areas (unless
you’re a pastor, of course). If you need to be involved in a church program for
people to know that you’re a Christian, then there are bigger problems and that
may be a blog for another day.
So, what is the solution for the church? Keep in mind that
I’m not a pastor and I don’t have a theological degree or credential. I guess
you might call me a bit of a Monday Morning Quarterback. I’m just a guy who
loves the Lord. I’m a guy who’s seen a lot of “Marthas” in the church. I’ve
seen a lot of churches who act like Martha. Shoot! I’ve BEEN Martha! So
Pastors, feel free to correct my thinking.
I understand that
many of these ministries are the result of God’s calling for a person to
fulfill, especially the ones that involve reaching out to the communities
outside of the church.There are certain missions callings that would require an
endorsement and financial support, but those are specific, specialized
callings. If you feel led to get a group of people together and go work on a
Habitat House, just go do it. If you want to volunteer at Teen Challenge, go do
it. If you want to do some work for Wounded Warriers, go do it. Grab some of
your co-workers and neighbors. You don’t need permission from the church. You
don’t need an endorsement. The pastor should give you encouragement, prayer
support, and equip you to be successful in your calling through training and
guidance.
If we use the combat analogy that Christians like to use,
then the church is a training command; bootcamp for new believers, intermediate
training for experienced combat veterans and “field” leaders, and advanced
training for leaders who have combat experience and will serve as trainers for
the new believers and intermediate level “soldiers.” The church is also an aid
station for those that are wounded or combat weary.
The real battle is in our homes, our workplaces, our
schools, the grocery store, Starbucks, etc.We wage our battles when our teenage
daughters want to date boys that we know are bad for them. We are in the thick
of the fight when our bosses ask us to do something unethical or dishonest. We
are dodging bullets when a friend doesn’t want to hear a hard truth about
something destructive that they are doing. We run over an IED when we fall into
the temptation of pornography. All of these things take their toll on a fragile
human. The church needs to be the place where the soldiers of God can step back
from the fight, rest, re-arm, get something to eat, and get back into the fight
for the next week.
I think of the scene at the end of the movie “Black Hawk Down”
where they’ve come back to the base after two days of fighting. They are tired,
dirty, hungry, wounded, and out of bullets. You can see the look complete
exhaustion on the faces of the Soldiers and know that the only things that each
of them really want are a hot shower, some hot food, and to go home. Then, Eric
Bana’s character starts reloading his weapon and magazines. He grabs a bottle
of water and throws some food down his throat and heads back into the fight.
His reason is that there are still men out there dying at the hands of the
enemy. Then, the others get up and do the same thing…for the same reason.
Friends, does your church have a dozen outreach programs but
doesn’t acknowledge the hurting people inside the walls of the church? If your
church is not a place of refuge from the battles of the week; if it is not a
place where the commanders (pastors, elders, deacons, “mature Christians”)give
you a plan of attack for the upcoming week; if it is not a place to rest, recharge
and re-arm; if it is not a place that bandages your wounds, whether they are
self-inflicted, friendly fire, or the result of an enemy ambush, then let me
assure you, there are places where you can go that will achieve all of these
things. It may not be the mega-church with 4 services and 5000 members (but
then again, it might be). It might be that home church with only a few families
or somewhere in between. Maybe this post is the confirmation that the Lord is
giving you to be that change in your church.
Jesus tells us to be a light in a dark world. When the
battery starts to run low and the light starts to dim, we need to come back and
refresh. The world needs each of us to be bright each and every day. It’s the
only way that they will come to know the love of a Savior. You need to be in a
place that will charge that battery.
